


The One Where He Writes Back

by thestanceyg



Series: April Challenge Redux [9]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Pre-Relationship, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-10
Updated: 2018-04-10
Packaged: 2019-04-20 22:17:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14270700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thestanceyg/pseuds/thestanceyg
Summary: Holiday: Name Yourself DaySince no one selected today, I decided to do a small continuation of The One Where She's Caught in Time





	The One Where He Writes Back

He stared at the paper in his hands and felt like he was going to be ill. She had been eager but scared about being the first human test subject. She had disappeared not in the blinding flash they had expected, but almost like a fog burning off in the sunlight. When she hadn't appeared at the location they thought they had sent her to, Dr. Foster had mused about the transfer not have always been instantaneous, but as seconds ticked over to minutes, they realized that something must have gone wrong.

Dr. Foster had been beside herself with worry over her assistant, but as minutes turned into hours and the math was triple checked, one thing became clear: they had not been the ones that messed up. In fact, they used the exact same coordinates later that afternoon and had successful results. Something or someone had sent Darcy elsewhere, and until they could figure it out, they kept their lips shut, worried that it had been an inside job.

People asking after Darcy had been pushed off with a vague statement about her having gone to care for a relative, and silently they had all tried to ferret out any information at all about where she had gone. It had been two years, and they had never stopped. In fact, he had been grabbed while following a long shot option. Maybe not such a long shot since he now was tantalizingly close to figuring out where she was; _when_ she was.

He wondered if the notes went both ways. Could he reply to her? Could they somehow work  this out together so she could finally come home? He hastily dried off and went back into  the room where he found paper and pencil. He picked up the pencil and was immediately s tumped. How did one tackle everything he needed to say? Was he crazy for even thinking this would work?

_ I got (some of? all?) your notes. I’m hoping this will get through to you. I don’t know how I can help, but I’m going to try. If possible, let me know you received this. _

He looked at it before stuffing it under his pillow. Maybe he would be able to figure something out if he could just talk to her. He didn’t think about the reasons why he didn’t  name himself . Possibly guilt at how little he had been able to help her since she left. If he were in her shoes, he’d probably be cursing the name of everyone associated with the project. Yeah, that was it.

*** 

Darcy woke up and made a hash mark on the wall behind the bed. She wasn’t certain that time was progressing normally, but if it even remotely was, she had been there for months. She sighed and grabbed the pillow from the other side of the bed, planning to wash the case in the sink before letting it hang dry in the shower. When she picked it up, underneath was a small paper.

“I don’t remember putting one there,” she thought idly. And, now that she really contemplated it, she didn’t remember a note ever remaining. They always disappeared. She looked at the paper for a long moment before deciding she absolutely needed to know if it was one of hers. She took a breath and then picked it up, looking at the legible, but not her own writing staring back at her. 

Someone had seen what she had written! And they were able to send something back to her! She was suddenly overcome with emotion. She might get out of here after all. She took a breath and pulled her pen and paper over to her. She hadn’t felt this much hope since her first day.

* * *

_ I’ve been here for months and hadn’t gotten a reply. There’s no way to know if you got them all because I can’t even remember all of them. But, maybe you can tell me how long you’ve been wherever you are? I think it might be the same room, but considering how I got here, anything’s possible. I’m not certain how time is moving. Some days seem to only last hours while others stretch on forever. Out of curiosity, did you place your note under a pillow? Because that’s where I found it. I’m going to put this one on the sink. I feel like that’s an obvious place you would see it. _

* * *

_ Yes! I did put it under my pillow, and your note was on the sink when I woke up this morning. I’ve only been here a few days, but I’ve found hundreds of notes. Maybe even three months worth. I am trapped too, but not in the same way you are. I can leave, but only when the people who kidnapped me take me somewhere. We should pick a spot to always leave our notes so we don’t have to hunt for them. I’m going to leave this one on top of the pillow, but I think putting them under a corner of the mattress might be safer for me. I’ll look for your response there. _

* * *

_ I found it right where you left it! I’ll put the next one under the mattress like you requested. I don’t want you to get hurt because of me. I don’t even know where to begin to figure out how to help myself. I’ve tried everything I can think of to leave the room, but so far nothing. I wonder if I wrap myself in paper if I’ll disappear and reappear with you like the notes do. _

* * *

_ I’m going to try sending you something. I’ve folded a bit of different paper that I stole from my captors up with this one. I’ve been doing what they ask slowly so as to waste their time, but now I’m scared that if I leave, there will be no one to help you.  _

He placed the paper under the mattress, and hoped desperately this would work.


End file.
